| Description of good practice: |
Context:
Computing, Mathematics and Electronics, taught across a range of degree programmes.
All undergraduates studying Computing, Mathematics, Electronics and Robotics subjects (n=1200) have been given iPads as part of an initiative by the Head of School, Professor Steven Furnell. Students are now able to access learning materials via their iPads, tutors are exploring different ways they can support learning alongside traditional lectures and demonstrations.
Inclusivity Challenge:
Students in this school have a range of inclusivity issues, with variants of AS (Asperger's Syndrome) being more common than in other schools. Anecdotally this may be because students with AS can play to their strengths when they study Computing, Mathematics, Electronics and Robotics subjects, having 'excellent memory, particularly for facts and figures, [being] meticulous, focused and [having] a good eye for detail and errors'. Some students with mild AS may not be diagnosed and therefore no Student Support Document. However, these students benefit from clear instructions, opportunities to revisit learning materials and objectives, and help with organizing their time.
The School also has many students with other inclusivity challenges. For example one student was identified as suffering severe visual impairment which meant that he was unable to follow live coding demonstrations on the projector during lectures. Pre-recording these demonstrations has helped address this.
Nicholas Outram, an Associate Professor in Computing and Electronics, felt that use of iPads could support students with a range of learning challenges thanks to the built-in accessibility features.
Rationale and aims:
Use of iPads was already widespread through the School due to their introduction in 2012 for all Stage 1 undergraduates. By 2013 they had been distributed to all undergraduates. The course manager summarized the aims of this particular application:
1. to provide lecture and demonstration materials online in a format that could be accessed via the iPads with their inbuilt accessibility features;
2. to provide additional organizational structure to the course materials using features of iTunes.
These developments were designed to support students with visual and hearing impairments, and to support students with personal organizational issues more generally.
Development undertaken:
This case study could be categorized as:
1. Use of assistive/inclusive technology;
2. Enabling diverse approaches to learning
Lecture slides were made available alongside audio commentary either before each lecture or immediately after. Videocasts of coding demonstrations were made available in the same way. Camtasia and Keynote were used to create the online resources. The Apple hosted iTunes U course manager was used to host and make them available to students via a closed link. Students automatically receive personal notifications whenever material was made available to them via this service.
Extra time was required to record the demonstrations and to edit and upload these files, and the lecturer has to ensure slides and audio/podcasts are completed well in advance of lectures. The lecturer also has to upload materials twice; once on the DLE and once on iTunes U. However, this extra effort is minimal and has been worthwhile.
Deliverables:
Face to face lectures/demonstrations continue but with the added benefit to students of access to online resources. In previous years the lecturer piloted providing the lecture slides and audio as stand-alone resources and using lecture time in other ways, but found that students were not motivated by this approach. So the live lectures were reintroduced and the online materials made available wherever possible. Online materials allow students to enjoy the industry-leading accessibility features of their iPads, including:
Vision: VoiceOver; Zoom; Large Text; Invert Colors; Speak Selection
Hearing: LED Flash for Alerts; Mono Audio
Learning: Guided Access
Physical and motor: AssistiveTouch: Home-click Speed; Incoming Calls
Benefits and impact:
Making learning materials available online; including video recordings of coding demonstrations has not only given fairer access to students with different needs but benefited all students through added variety, convenience and reinforcement. Some students use the pre-downloaded slides on their iPads to follow the live lecture. Other students use them for revision or both .
The student with visual disabilities can easily pinch-zoom to follow the slides or demonstrations and no longer has to sit right at the front of the class to follow the session. Other students benefit from the clear organization of their course materials in iTunes U.
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